the aftermath
by odstpilot
Summary: Summary: Trigger tests the teleporter device from Ms Frizzle, and ends up over Walkerville Elementary. He and Ms Frizzle take the kids on various field trips.
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1

Trigger looked at his Su-37 that was hooked onto the rails of the space elevator, knowing his next mission.

"We managed to build the teleporter device and our simulations show promising results." Dr Schroeder said.

"What's the rate of failure?" Trigger asked.

"Minimum. Now, we don't know where your destination will be, so you'll have to play it by ear once you arrive." the doctor said.

"And if the test fails?" Trigger asked.

"Then we lost a pilot and an aircraft. Good luck, ace."

Trigger entered the cockpit of his SU-37 and looked up at the space elevator. He knew that the tower was massive, but while he was waiting for the go-ahead, the sheer size now stuck him.

"Goddamn. I might throw up." he said, pushing his throat back. Resting in his seat, he thought back to his encounter with Ms Frizzle. He could only laugh at his encounter and her experience, shrinking down to molecular size and seeing the slugfest over Meglith thru his own eyes. It was enough to drive anyone mad.

"Hell, i'm betting she's taking her students on some other crazy adventure. As for me, i could use some peace and quiet after 8 months and dozens of missions of hard fighting." Trigger said.

"Strider 1, you are cleared for liftoff." Longcaster said.

"Copy that. Strider 1, lifting off." he said.

_'Getting some Halo Reach vibes from this op. At least i'm not fighting any genocidal aliens.'_

As he accelerated upwards and faster, he could only wonder when he would be teleported. For all he knew, it was like the delorean from back to the future. Looking at his instruments, he saw parts of the cockpit began to glow brightly.

"Here goes nothing." he said, pushing the accelerator forward. The cockpit began to shoot sparks and Trigger saw a bright light in front of him. With a prayer in his heart, he grabbed the center stick with both of his hands and braced for the worst.

…

"So, who's up for another field trip?" Ms Frizzle asked, much to the joy of her students, except Arnold as usual.

"I knew i should have stayed home today. Ms Frizzle, you remember what happened the last time we went on a field trip?" Arnold asked.

"Sure do." she said, pulling out the stolen dog-tags and spun them around her finger.

"That was so cool! Ms Frizzle, you think we'll be able to see Trigger again?" Ralphie asked.

"I sure hope so. I'd love to fly with him again." Ms Frizzle dreamily said.

"Yeah. You were real cozy in the cockpit with him." Wanda teased.

"The wonders of love and emotions. Both a blessing and a curse, depending on how one views it." Ms Frizzle said, as the class heard a sonic boom above their heads.

Everyone looked outside, seeing a yellow and brown jet fly above the school very fast. Ms Frizzle and class headed to the bus, where they saw the controls on the bus began to go crazy, and a radar appeared showing a single contact heading towards them. Looking up, she saw contrails appear in the sky and they were coming closer and closer.

"Could that be? No, that's impossible. It was only a week ago." she said, then slapped herself for the cognitive dissonance going thru her head.

Trigger looked down from the cockpit, seeing a school with only a few scant vehicles still around. He briefly wondered if this was where Ms Frizzle was teaching. Looking on his radar, he saw a single contact on the ground. Pointing his nose at the coordinates, he saw a school bus that seemed very familiar.

"There you are." Trigger said, as he lowered his landing gear and touched down on the road. Deploying his chute, he turned into the parking lot, catching the attention of Ms Frizzle and her students. Starting his shutdown procedures, he noticed the center line hardpoint blinking.

"I think i know what our next field trip will be." Ms Frizzle grinned as she approached the fighter jet. Trigger jumped out off the cockpit and waved hello to Ms Frizzle as he crouched and headed underneath the aircraft, approaching the teleporter device.

"Hey, Trigger. How are you?" Ms Frizzle asked, crouching next to Trigger.

"Hey, Ms Frizzle. It looks like the operation was a success." Trigger said, flashing her a thumbs up.

"You guys managed to send a pilot with my teleporter?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Damn straight. But i think this is looking to be a one way trip. I honestly didn't expect to survive the trip over here." Trigger said as he reached to the device.

"If there's something wrong with the device, i can help with it." she offered, just as Trigger burned his hands on the outer casing.

"Yep, something's wrong with it alright. Repairing it will have to wait. It looks like you'll be taking your kids on another field trip. Just remember i won't be around to help bail you guys out." he said.

"Actually, i think i can fit both the field trip and the repairs in. The field trip is high in the mountains. I'm teaching the kids about air pressure at different altitudes." she said.

"Then you're in luck." Trigger grinned, pointing to himself.

"I can only imagine the experience you have." she said.

"Plenty. Lots of high altitude dogfights and i also dueled an enemy ace inside a fucking thunderstorm. Had to dodge both missiles and lightning bolts. Now that was hair-raising, pun intended." Trigger said, watching Ms Frizzle laugh.

"By the way, you have my dog-tags." Trigger said standing up with her.

"Oh. These?" she asked, pulling them out of her dress. Trigger reached to grab them, only for Ms Frizzle to back away and held the ball chain away from him.

"So that's how you want to play." Trigger smirked as he grabbed her arm and spun her close to him. Holding her body against his, he reached down her dress and grabbed the tags from her.

"You like what you feel?" Ms Frizzle asked, feeling him grope her.

"I do." Trigger grinned, reclaiming his dog-tags.

"Hey, Ms Frizzle. You coming?" Carlos asked.

"Sure thing. Hit it, Liz!" Ms Frizzle said, running to the school bus.

Climbing in his cockpit, Trigger rolled into the street and flew into the air, seeing the school bus driving on the road. The radar kept the school bus pinged as a friendly, and Trigger couldn't help but remember that disastrous mission over Anchorhead Bay. He was also escorting a VIP, though the city was in the middle of chaos and anarchy with bullets and missiles flying all over the place.

"I hope this turns out better than that hell." he muttered.

As they drove down the road, Ms Frizzle saw smoke coming from the engine and pulled over to the side.

"What's wrong?" Arnold asked.

"Overheated. We won't be going anywhere." she said.

"Ms Frizzle, is something wrong?" Trigger asked over the radio.

"Oh, nothing dear. Our bus overheated so we're stuck." she calmly said.

"I see an abandoned house ahead. We can stop and make repairs. I'll have to drag you guys to it." Trigger said, landing on the road. Both teacher and pilot attached metal cables from plane to bus and carpooled to the house.

"Well, we're here. Thanks for the lift, Trigger." Ms Frizzle said, when Trigger lifted her in his arms and spun around on his feet, hearing her laugh.

"Worth it." the ace said, earning a kiss from Ms Frizzle.

Taking point, Trigger approached the door and charged the bolt on his AK. He kicked the door open and rushed in, the rifle at the ready. Ms Frizzle and the class walked in, seeing a well decorated house.

"For being an abandoned house, this place is well decked out." Trigger said, lowering his rifle.

"Hello." Ms Frizzle yoddled, her voice echoing throughout the house.

"Well, no-one's home." she said as Trigger closed the door.

"We'll make repairs in the morning. We need to find a place to sleep." Trigger advised when Ralphie had another idea.

"Wait, this place is perfect to tell horror stories." he said as everyone sat around a lit lantern. Ms Frizzle pulled out her canteen and drank some of the liquid before handing it to Carlos. He took a sip and spit it out.

"Tastes like pickle juice." he coughed.

"It is pickle juice." Ms Frizzle said, seeing Trigger swipe the canteen from her and drank more of it.

"Tastes good." Trigger said, downing more of it when Ms Frizzle pushed his arm aside and put her tongue inside his mouth, tasting the bitter liquid on his gums and teeth.

"It does taste good." she said, lowering her voice and running her tongue across his teeth.

"So, horror story. Does anyone have one?" Tim asked.

"I do." Trigger said, as he unloaded his rifle.

"The planet where i come from has a country called Belka. They have very advanced technology, beyond anything their rivals have. Some good, plenty of it bad. There was one project they were working on: project Untoten." Trigger said, as a bolt of lighting flashed just outside a window.

"Untoten?" Arnold asked.

"Undead. They wanted to bring back their dead soldiers and create an army to use. It was all hush-hush, very top secret. The base of operations was deep in Nord Belka, in a castle called Wewelsburg. The shit that went on in there… Untoten was one of many demonic operations that went on in there." Trigger said.

"What else happened?" Phoebe asked.

"We only have rumors and bits and pieces of information. I've heard that they were trying to call upon some demons, or the castle was the center for some damned occultism. Whatever the operations that happened inside, Untoten was the only one that succeeded." Trigger said.

"They created zombies?!" Ralphie asked.

"Of course. Just think of a bunch of half-dead frankenstein's running around." Ms Frizzle teased.

"Except these half-dead frankenstein's are running around with machine guns. And they can drive a car and fly a plane." Trigger added. About three of the students looked like they were going to crap themselves with fright.

"Did you, did you fight these things?" Carlos asked.

"No. They were all destroyed before i was even born." Trigger said.

"Hold on a minute. There's no way anyone could create an army of undead soldiers. How could the rotten body work like ours?" Keesha asked.

"Excellent question, Keesha. Trigger, do the honors." Ms Frizzle said.

"You're right, Keesha. The undead bodies couldn't work like ours. The Belkan's knew this, and had to resort to other methods. Thru some form of occultism, they infused the bodies into suits of armor, just like that one behind you guys." Trigger pointed out, and everyone looked to see a set of medieval armor.

"So, it worked?" Wanda asked.

"Sure did. They undead knights were reported to be very tough to fight, let alone kill. Let me demonstrate." Trigger said, as he stood up. He pulled out a .22 pistol and fired at the armor leaving only dents and dings on the metal.

"Just so you all know, the Belkan armor that was used is much thicker than this one." Trigger said as he sat down.

"And the Belkans let them go loose? Why would they do that?" Dorothy asked.

"They didn't expect them to go crazy and murder everyone in their path. The Oseans sent in infantry armed with only rifles and machineguns. None returned. In fact, some say that the Oseans were turned into more Untoten soldiers for this new foe." Trigger ominously said.

"If you couldn't stop them with a pistol or a rifle, how did you defeat them?" Raphie asked.

"The Yuktobanians sent in their own soldiers, this time armed with flamethrowers and rocket launchers. Operation Dark Camelot was a success. They blew the bastards to hell and damn near leveled the castle. And if that failed, the Yukes had bombers with nukes standing by to turn the area into a radioactive crater." Trigger said.

"Well, at least they stopped a zombie apocalypse." Arnold said.

"After the shooting died down, the castle was abandoned and declared a dead zone. No-one is allowed passage in; even military personal aren't allowed regardless of rank. But there are still sounds and signs of something going on there, even though the castle is empty. Like the ghosts are still trying to perfect Untoten." Trigger finished.

"Okay, i think that's enough horror stories for one night." Ralphie said.

"Right on that. Lets find some place to sleep." Ms Frizzle said.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

The class followed Trigger's lead as he led them thru the maze that was the haunted house. He kicked or shoved the door open and pivoted the rifle from one end of the room to another. Now he was using the rifle butt to break the doors open.

"Is Trigger okay?" Carlos asked when they reached another dead end.

"There's nothing here." he said, slinging his rifle. He approached the mantelpiece above a fireplace and stepped on a stone, swinging the class into another room. Trigger brought up his rifle to take out any threats, but found none.

Instead, they found another room with 8 beds all made to be slept in.

"Well, what do you know. 8 beds for the students and a teacher's annex with a king sized bed. Well, nighty night." Ms Frizzle said, shutting the door and separating the students from her and Trigger.

Ms Frizzle removed her dress, and faced Trigger as he discarded his gravity suit. She pushed him onto the bed, and crawled on top of him.

"So tell me about yourself, Trigger." she said.

"I was born in Osea and joined the air-force when i turned 20. After five months of training, i was sent to fort grey's air-force base as part of the IUN peace-keeping force. And war suddenly broke out." he said, pulling out his knife and absently twirled it in his hands.

"Did you make any friends?" she asked.

"A few. Most are dead, though." Trigger said.

"I do know about stress and PTSD. You seem to be handling things quite well." she said, holding his hands with hers.

Taking a deep breath, Trigger looked at Ms Frizzle's eyes.

"I've flown plenty of missions during the war. Too many. Killed plenty of enemy soldiers. Was on frontline duty for most of the war, 8 months of hard fighting. It's only been a week since the end. I've picked up many demons along the way. All just waiting to come out." Trigger said, tapping his head.

"Trigger, listen. The war is over. There's nothing to worry about anymore." she said.

"For the moment." Trigger said.

"You have any good memories? A mission you'd do again?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Yeah. First, the one where i flew into the thunder clouds. We were ordered to take out radar sites and anti-air weapons, such as surface to air missiles and flak guns. A squadron of Osean recon planes was returning from their mission and would be crossing the area. Now, they didn't have any weapons onboard. I'm guessing they had to fight their way into Erusean territory." Trigger started.

"Was there any lightning?" she asked.

"More lightning than bullets and missiles. So, the recon squadron arrives and they had drones to fight, the same drones you saw me take out over Meglith. What a mess. Not only did we have to take down the drones, but we also had to deal with lightning strikes." Trigger continued.

"And once lightning strikes, your electronics would be fried. You must be one hell of a pilot to fight with that." Ms Frizzle said.

"Military planes are hardened against lightning strikes. While the HUD would disappear, it'd only disappear only for a moment then come back. We managed to take out the drones; well I did. My squadron was fucking useless. Then mister X shows up in his SU-30."

"Mr X?" she asked.

"Short for Mr experimental. He was a test pilot for the Erusean air force, and would often bring experimental equipment or aircraft into the field. He was one hell of an ace. We had a duel in the middle of the thunderstorm, often diving into the canyon below. Now that was fun, trying to avoid crashing into the rockface while using the harsh winds to help navigate your plane. But not as fun as the next mission, which i dub, Mr Inferno." Trigger said.

"Let me guess. It involves a lot of fire." Ms Frizzle said.

"You bet. We had to blow up an oil refinery that was supplying fuel for the drones the Eruseans were using. And did we blow it sky high. A bunch of oil trucks managed to escape, but we destroyed them. And in the middle of a dust storm to boot." Trigger said.

Ms Frizzle's eyes suddenly up with an idea.

"I've got it. Once we repair the bus, we can go visit those missions." Ms Frizzle said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Trigger asked.

"Oh, come on. We'll be fine. We'll travel back in time and see the fighting from your perspective. I was supposed to take the kids on a field trip to the mountains and teach them about air pressure from different altitudes." Ms Frizzle said.

"That's an idea. Here's something i remember fondly. It was just after i was transferred to the 444th squadron. We were soon scrambled to take out enemy bombers that were attacking us. One of the pilots, Champ, forces a take off to be first. Naturally, the control tower isn't happy with that. Champ yells out 'My blood's boiling!'. The control tower responds by promising to throw the chump in the brig, and that his ass is grass once he returns." Trigger laughed.

"Sounds like insanity." Ms Frizzle laughed.

"It was." Trigger said, as Ms Frizzle kissed him.

Trigger pulled her on top, both touching and caressing each other. Raising up to sit on him, she reached back and removed her bra feeling Trigger's hands on her.

"Two parts of yourself, Trigger. One that fights, and one loves." she said.

Ms Frizzle gasped as Trigger was inside her, feeling herself clench around him like a vice.

"You feel so good." she said, rocking her hips back and forth against his.

Trigger leaned into her body, running his mouth and tongue above her stomach moving lower to her core.

"Trigger if you're going to…" Ms Frizzle started when she felt his thumb caress her clit. Her words and breath were stopped short. "Again." she said.

Trigger was more than happy to comply, licking a finger wet and rubbing on and around her sensitive nub. She gyrated on top of Trigger, feeling him rub against her g-spot over and over. Wanting to keep this nocturnal activity a secret, she kisses Trigger and squeezes his hand as tight as she could.

"Trigger, you know your science very well." Ms Frizzle said.

"Thanks, i guess." he replied.

"That would have been the perfect moment for my class to explore the science of…" Ms Frizzle started when Trigger cut her off.

"I'd rather not know." he said, holding her until both fell asleep.

Ms Frizzle woke up, seeing it was still dark. Her eyes settled upon the young ace, his eyes gently closed. Wrapping their arms around each other, she began to hum a lullaby to lull both asleep. It was cute; she was singing a children's lullaby to this hardened soldier to keep him asleep.

"Sweet dreams, ace." she said, when Trigger stirred himself awake.

"Hello, Ms Frizzle." Trigger said, sitting up.

"Trigger, i have an idea." she said.

"Lay it on me." he replied.

"Your story was about the knights being reanimated. Maybe we can roleplay that and give the kids a good scare." she said.

"I'm in. Who'll be the knight?" Trigger asked.

"Why me, of course. I don't know about your role, but you'll figure something out." she said.

"I'm liking this already. The kids are most likely dead asleep. Get in the armor and knock yourself out. I'll be ready for them." he said.

…

Ms Frizzle discarded her dress and headed to the armor, putting it on with Trigger's help. He spotted her as she walked and moved her arms and legs while wearing the heavy armor.

"I'm glad i ditched my dress. It's real stuffy in here. Can't believe how those knights would wear this shit." she said.

"I'm glad you're the guinea pig for this prank, not me." Trigger said, then walking to the bedroom.

Ms Frizzle yodeled a loud, hearing the sound echoing. With a grin, she moved forward inside the heavy armor, the thudding noise of the boots producing its own echo.

"Wait, what's that?" Arnold asked, hearing the yodeling which was followed by thick footsteps.

"It's one of those zombie knights Trigger spoke about." Ralphie said.

"Zombies don't exist, Ralphie." Keesha said.

Suddenly, a loud banging noise was heard, as if someone, or something, was trying to break thru the door.

"Who's there?" Carlos asked, approaching the door. He heard nothing, but then jumped back screaming with fright as a loud banging noise was heard right on the opposite side of the door.

"Something's trying to break in! Wake up Trigger and Ms Frizzle!" Tim said.

Everyone ran to the adjacent door and banged their fists on it, shouting for either Trigger or Ms Frizzle to wake up. Trigger opened the door, seeing the frightened kids in front of him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Something's trying to break in! We need your help!" Ralphie said.

Grabbing his AK rifle, he checked the bolt and saw he was armed with blanks. Approaching the second door, he pressed his ear to the door and heard nothing.

"Wait here. I'll look outside." Trigger said, opening the door, only for a reanimated set of armor to break thru the door and brandished its sword.

"AHHHHHHH!" the class screamed in unison. Trigger pulled out his pistol and fired at the armor, only to see it was still moving towards them.

"It's one of those zombies! The one that you told us about!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"Into the annex, now!" Trigger urged, as he picked up his rifle and fired several bullets into the armor. The door was closed and locked as the knight walked into it, bent on slaughtering the inhabitants.

"What are we gonna do, what are we gonna do, what are we gonna dooooo?!" Wanda cried out.

"Everyone, shut up. I need to think." Trigger said, as he gathered more ammunition for his rifle and pistol. With everyone quiet, they heard nothing only for some light yodeling echoing across the house.

"I'm scared. Trigger did you guys manage to find other ways of killing those zombies?" Arnold asked.

"Nope. Fire and explosives. And i don't have any grenades or flamethrowers with me. But my plane…" Trigger said, when he realized their next plan.

"We're leaving. We'll head outside to the vehicles. You kids get on the bus and get out of dodge. I'll take down the knight." Trigger said.

"Wait. Where's Ms Frizzle?" Dorothy asked.

"She left her dress behind. Why would she do that?" Carlos asked.

"She said she wanted to take a personal tour of the house. Why she ditched the dress is beyond me." Trigger said.

"The zombie probably ate her, and now it's coming after us." Arnold said.

"Not if i have anything to say about it. Follow me." Trigger said, bracing himself against the door. Counting to three, he charged the door and pushed it aside and knocked the knight on its back.

"Go!" Trigger yelled, as he shoved his rifle into the helmet and pulled the trigger, sending hot powder inside the helmet. The knight then grabbed Trigger and tossed him aside like he was nothing.

The knight walked towards the frightened students, who just saw their protector be man-handled like he was a piece of paper. Someone shouted run, and they did just that. The sounds of gunfire mixed in with heavy footprints came closer, then stopped.

Trigger came around the corner, holding both his rifle and pistol along with some bloody knuckles.

"Kids, rule number one. Don't try and take on a fully armored knight with just your bare hands. The knight will always win." Trigger said, clenching his bloody hand.

Upon hearing the sound of clanking shoes approaching, Trigger pivoted his rifle around the corner and fired another burst before running with the students.

Ms Frizzle refrained from laughing her head off, as much as she wanted to. It was hilarious seeing her students freak out, thinking they were actually seeing an undead knight approaching them.

"Thank god Trigger is firing blanks." she said as she saw Trigger raise up his pistol and fire more shots at her.

"Get moving!" he ordered, walking backwards while covering their retreat. They were getting closer to the front door, and Ms Frizzle waited. The last thing she wanted was to run into an active air-to-air missile that Trigger may fire on impulse.

"Help us!" Arnold screamed as they ran down the front lawn and towards the school bus and fighter jet. Trigger hopped into the cockpit and started up the plane, arming his weapons.

"Trigger, shoot it!" Keesha exclaimed.

Trigger pulls the trigger, only for nothing to happen. Both the guns and missiles suddenly go offline and the yodeling is heard again.

"Oh man. We're dead." Tim said.

"Get in the bus, and drive away. I'll buy you as much time as i can." Trigger said, as he stood up in the cockpit, resting his rifle on the bracing. The haunted knight all but ran towards its terrified victims and ignored Trigger's firing.

Trigger soon ran out of ammo for the rifle, and was reduced to using his sidearm. The kids ran into the bus and attempted to start up the engine, only to hear it die again and again. As the knight came closer, Trigger fired the last of his pistol ammo into the knight. And just like before, he ran out of ammo and the knight was still standing.

"It's like i'm fighting a terminator." Trigger moaned as he dropped from the cockpit and brandished his K-bar. The knight in turn brandished its sword and walked toward the school bus, not considering Trigger to be a threat.

"It's heading straight for us!" Wanda shrieked.

The knight attempted to force its way past the door, only for Trigger to tackle the bigger foe.

"Alright, Trigger!" Tim cheered, seeing the pilot engage in a knife fight with the apparition. Unfortunately, Trigger lost the fight as the knight looked poised to kill him. Trigger all but ran up the ladder to the cockpit, one last idea in his head.

_'This is the last time i climb a ladder wearing something as clunky and heavy as this.'_

Ms Frizzle came closer to Trigger and reached an armored hand out, as if to choke the pilot to death. But Trigger had other plans. He brought the canopy down on her as hard as he could. The brace hit the helmet and she fell to the earth, the armor taking the blow.

"Is it, is it dead?" Arnold asked.

"Don't jinx us, Arnold." Phoebe chided.

"Oh no." Trigger muttered in fear, seeing Ms Frizzle lay motionless. He jumped out of the cockpit and approached her as she sat up, laughing.

"Ms Frizzle?" Trigger asked, crouching down and pulled the helmet off.

"We've been Frizzled." Tim said.

"Right on that, Tim. As my great-great-aunt used to say, take chances. Make mistakes. Scare the pants off of your students." Ms Frizzle said.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

Morning came, and both the plane and bus were repaired. As the students conversed amongst themselves, Trigger and Ms Frizzle were talking amongst themselves.

"So, where do you want to start?" he asked.

"I was thinking of one of your early memories. You said something about Champ running his mouth off." Ms Frizzle said.

"I remember. He was always champing at the bit for a fight. A complete dumbass." Trigger said.

"He got his fight?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Sure did. You remember that ace i talked about, Mr X?" Trigger asked.

"I remember. What happened?" she asked.

"Champ ran into him and attempted to fight him. He was killed by Mr X. Shot down in cold blood. Are you certain you want your students to see that? And both sides have committed worse during the war. God knows i have." Trigger sighed.

"Well don't show us the bad stuff. All i want to show them is the science behind the effects of air pressure at different altitudes, but i'm thinking of changing it to learning about flight." Ms Frizzle said.

"You'd be surprised how interconnected the two are. Different altitudes give you different engine pressure. The Yukes and Oseans were smart when testing their new fighter jets. Wait, Oseans were smart. Never thought i'd hear/say that sentence. Anyway, they tested them in the cold. The frigid air means you have to push the engines so they can generate max thrust. Lower altitudes create more drag. Higher altitude means lower drag, a smoother ride. Flying in a dust storm or a thunderstorm, now that's exciting. What the hell, lets go on this field trip of yours." Trigger said.

"Wahoo!" Ms Frizzle exclaimed, pulling Trigger into a bone-crushing hug.

"Hold on a minute, Ms Frizzle. How is this going to work?" Trigger asked.

"The bus can travel back in time to any point i see fit. But location on the other hand is more difficult." She said.

"You have the means to travel from your Earth to mine. It can be done." Trigger said.

"One more problem. I'll have to be in the location of these events you were in." Ms Frizzle said, prompting Trigger to curse.

"That's a problem. The Usean continent is in total anarchy and chaos at the moment. Going from place to place will be dangerous. Unless you have some sort of a cloak." Trigger said.

"The bus can shrink down to microscopic size." Ms Frizzle assured.

"Unless the speed of the bus is proportional to the size of the bus." he warned.

"Nope. We won't have any problems with that." she said.

"Okay. Should i get my fighter or not?" Trigger asked.

"No need to. Since we're going back in time, your plane will disappear along with us." Ms Frizzle said.

Standing next to Ms Frizzle, he watched as the bus went thru various shapes until it turned into a rocket ship and shot up into space. Looking down, he saw the planet and also saw various continents he didn't recognize.

The bus the nose dived towards the planet, and Trigger saw the same bright light like before. As quickly as the light appeared, it soon disappeared and Trigger saw the Usean continent along with the space elevator.

"Home sweet home." Trigger said, seeing Ms Frizzle steer towards the elevator.

"No, don't go there. The elevator is under control of both Osea and Erusea. They have more aircraft and SAM sites then God has. We go down there, we'll be shot down before we can blink. Head south-east." Trigger said, watching as they entered the atmosphere.

"Where to?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"An abandoned air-force base at the south-eastern part of Usea. You'll soon see it." Trigger said, standing next to Ms Frizzle and clutching his dog-tags as tight as he could.

…

Arriving at the base, they saw it was empty as Trigger said it would. Under Trigger's guidance, the bus shrank down in size and traveled back in time to just before Operation Two Pairs. Taking the driver's seat, Trigger navigated the now busy air-force base relying on his memory.

"Where are you going?" Carlos asked.

"Looking for me. Literally, i might add." Trigger said, as he headed to the hangers. He saw Avril working on a fighter jet, and saw Fullband and Champ chatting with each other. Leaving the trio, he headed an adjacent hanger and saw him past self heading towards the hanger.

"This is so surreal." Trigger said, as he flew into his past self. They rested inside one of the eyeballs and saw Trigger's own movements.

"Scrap queen, is my MiG ready?" past Trigger asked.

"Your Fulcrum has been shot to hell from the previous mission. You know you guys lost several pilots." Avril said.

"Yeah. So?" past Trigger asked.

"That Terminator you've been working on, it's yours. Just be careful with the engines." Avril said.

Trigger all but ran to his new fighter and climbed into the glass cockpit. Quickly starting up the engines, he taxied on the tarmac and followed the rest of the squadron to Yinshi Valley.

…

"You flew in that?" Dorothy asked, seeing a fierce thunderstorm in front of them.

"Damn straight." Trigger said, watching the Erusean anti-air defenses go active. Missiles and large caliber bullets tore into the sky.

"Who's the asshole who thought of this shit?" Champ incredulously asked.

"Just follow orders." Bandog snapped.

The class watched as Trigger dove into the fray, the rain nearly blinding him.

"How were you able to fight in this soup?" Ralphie asked.

"There's a little piece of technology called HUD: heads up display. It displays ammo count, damage indicator, speed, and altitude." Trigger said.

Past Trigger yanked the control stick in his gut to avoid crashing into the rock face. The radar gave a warning and Trigger sharply pulled away to dodge the missile.

"The wind, i can't fly straight!" a pilot exclaimed.

"Use the wind to guide you, ametures!" Count protested.

Past Trigger wrestled with the controls of his plane, using the wind currents and extreme maneuverability of the Terminator to keep himself alive.

"AGHHHH!" the class shouted as the cockpit showed the side of a mountain heading towards them. Past Trigger yanked the stick in his gut, stomped on the left pedal and accelerated. The class watched as they skimmed up the wall and twirled over the cliff edge, almost like Trigger was dancing in the wind.

"Nice flying, Trigger. Though you didn't have to impress me." Ms Frizzle teased, winking at him.

"I aim to please. Use the wind to guide you. Can't believe the cocksucker actually said something important." Trigger said, watching his past movements as he bore down on a triangle network of anti-air guns.

"Looks like Erusea is planning for all out war." Tabloid said.

"I need mission's that'll improve my score. Not this crap." Count said.

Trigger could only clench his fists in anger. He always hated how Count seemed to run his mouth off during battle.

"How the hell you survived the war with your incompetence, i'll never know." Trigger growled, reaching behind him and clutching the handle of his revolver. He loosened his grip when Ms Frizzle grabbed his hand and pointed out the window.

Past Trigger was now diving onto enemy choppers, taking them out with his guns. More missiles were fired at the diving plane, but they either missed or crashed into the mountains.

"As you can see class, one shouldn't fly into a thunderstorm unless they're flying a jet and have remarkable skill." Ms Frizzle said.

While watching the fighting, they saw Trigger ascend upwards and cut power to the engines. The stall warning was heard, and they dove towards the earth.

"What happened?" Carlos asked.

"I stalled the plane on purpose. I was able to destroy ground targets much quicker than usual." Trigger answered, still looking forward.

"Stall?" Carlos asked.

"According to my research, stall occurs if the wings can no longer provide lift. And that happens as the pilot increases the angle of attack and exceeds its critical angle of attack." Dorothy said, reading from her book.

"Very correct. However, planes that have thrust-vector engines, such as my Su-37, can maintain altitude by replacing lost wing lift with engine thrust." Trigger said.

"Thrust-vector engines? Ms Frizzle, do you know anything about that?" Dorothy asked.

"Not a clue. Trigger, do the honors." the teacher said.

"It's the ability of an aircraft to manipulate the direction of the thrust. In my Terminator, the nozzles from the engine move in various directions. I'll show you guys when i have the chance." Trigger said, turning around to face the fight.

"UAVs inbound." Bandog advised.

"We might have crossed the line." Wiseman said, as both LRSSG squadrons appeared.

"What's going on?" Dorothy asked.

"Drones have jumped the Osean recon planes. Me and my squadron, well me, went into intercept." Trigger said.

"All planes, lets go toaster shopping." Tabloid said.

The class watched as past Trigger was shooting down drone after drone, only to get hit by lightning. Trigger growled and blew a drone to pieces with his guns.

"You're insane, Trigger. Flying inside a thunderstorm." Ralphie said.

"You're correct. And i had to fight the drones with the odds stacked against me. Flying in a thunderstorm will hinder your flying. And god help you if ice up." Trigger said.

"Ice up?" Wanda asked.

"Condensation on the wings plus really cold weather creates ice. It adds weight that only slows you down. Right Trigger?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Watch and learn." Trigger said, as his plane stayed in a thundercloud too long and began to ice up.

"Spare 15, you're icing up!" Bandog warned. Trigger responded by accelerating out of the clouds, and the ice melted away.

"I get it. So if you have ice building up on your wings, you just apply heat by accelerating." Tim said.

"Correct, Tim." Ms Frizzle said, but was cut off when everyone was tossed to the floor.

"What happened?" Wanda asked.

"Trigger's been struck by lightning!" Count exclaimed.

"Calm down. You'll make it if you check your HUD for errors." Bandog replied.

"A lightning strike? How'd you survive that?" Arnold asked.

"The plane body acts as a faraday cage. The energy and electric charge from the lightning bolt run around the outside of the body, and the currents exit via the tail." Ms Frizzle said.

The shooting died down and everything was relatively calm.

"Hold it. Bandits approaching, near spare 8. All aircraft, support spare 8." Bandog said.

"I don't need any support. This one's all mine." Champ replied.

The class watched as Spare 8 and Mihaly dueled against each other, somewhat. Mihaly chased Spare 8 thru the clouds only for Spare 8 to pull a Cobra and get behind Mihaly.

"And here we go." Trigger said.

Mihaly suddenly went into a Kulbit and fired a single missile into Champs plane, obliterating it.

"Who is that?!" Dorothy asked.

"Colonel Mihaly A. Shilage. One hell of an ace. I enjoyed fighting him." Trigger said, sitting in the driver's seat with Ms Frizzle sitting on his lap.

"Trigger, get the bastard that killed Champ! I'm not good enough!" Tabloid advised.

"Are those cowards bailing on us!?" Huxian growled.

The class watched as Trigger engaged in a hard duel against Mihaly, with both pilots throwing everything at each other, including the kitchen sink.

"Don't tell me we're heading down there!" Carlos exclaimed, pointing to the canyon floor. Trigger chased after Mihaly into the canyon, both pilots pushing their bodies and planes to the limit.

Everyone could only look in horror as Trigger fly past the jagged canyon edge at mach speed, with no apparent concern for his safety. A missile was fired at him, and Trigger arched up and let the missile hit.

Trigger returned the favor, firing his guns at Mihaly and nicking his engine. Both pilots moved in closer, firing their guns at each other yet missed.

"How long did this fight last?" Keesha asked.

Trigger didn't respond, but let his past self answer her question. Mihaly broke away only for Trigger to pursue. He looked at the Erusean ace, who was also looking back at him. Mihaly saluted Trigger, and Trigger returned the gesture.

"See you later, three strikes." Mihaly said.

Trigger didn't respond, but instead headed back to base.

Ms Frizzle waited until Trigger landed at the base and left his body when the opportunity presented itself.

"Trigger, that was insane of you to do all that." Keesha said.

"It was. And my next mission was just as nuts. Hit it, Liz." Trigger said.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

Ms Frizzle traveled forward thru time until Trigger said otherwise. They stayed close to the Su-37 and waited until past Trigger entered the cockpit and moved the rudders and ailerons to check them.

"Watch the exhaust nozzles." Trigger pointed out.

The nozzles moved up, down, left, and right.

"We should put that stuff on the bus." Ralphie said.

"I doubt 3-d thrust vectoring engine tech will work on a vehicle that's on the road. That might cause more problems than you'd think." Trigger said, noticing his past self help some mechanics put FAEB's on the hardpoints.

"What kind of bombs are those?" Tim asked.

"Incendiary bombs." Trigger said as they headed into the cockpit as the hangar bay doors opened.

The mission started, and the squadron, now smaller, proceeded to lay waste to the fuel base.

"Look at that!" Dorothy exclaimed, seeing past Trigger strafe and bomb the vulnerable fuel tanks. They pilots had been flying increasingly dangerous mission, and now they were flying a mission that had no strings attached. And they wasted no time in exploiting their advantages.

"That's right, Trigger. Go ape on them!" a fellow pilot cheered.

Past Trigger and Tabloid made a formation and fired a full burst of gunfire, taking out more fuel tanks, including an oil tanker.

"I've got bad news. The Inessa 2 sandstorm is coming in. You only have 2 minutes. Hurry it up if you wish to avoid solitary." Bandong said.

"Solitary?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Long story." Trigger deflected.

Everyone watched as the squadron destroyed the fuel tanks, with Trigger looking out his canopy and saw the sandstorm moving in.

"Is that the sandstorm?" Arnold asked.

"It is. And i'm heading into it." Trigger said, watching his past self dive into the sandstorm.

"Dust storms are created when a strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. This storm has been building up for some time." Ms Frizzle said.

"And Trigger is flying in that." Dorothy said.

Everyone braced themselves as the dust battered against the plane, and past Trigger struggled to keep the enemy ground vehicles in view.

"How can you see the enemy vehicles?" Carlos asked.

"They blink on radar for a moment and you head closer to it. Watch and learn." Trigger said, as they watched his past self head towards a radar contact. Upon getting closer, Trigger looked down from his canopy and saw the tankers attempting to escape. Performing a loop, Trigger aimed and dropped his bombs onto fuel trucks. While one exploded normally, the second truck had a much more violent explosion shown by blue light.

"What was that?!" Phoebe asked.

"That was actually fuel/ammo for an Erusean cruise missile, called helios. Very dangerous and powerful." Trigger said.

"Contacts coming in from the north." Bandog said.

"Wait. Did they follow Count's aircraft?" Fullband asked.

"Wait. Don't go blaming me." Count said.

"We're blaming you." Trigger muttered to Ms Frizzle.

"Just because he was flying north?" she asked.

"He was flying towards the Erusean border. The drone's picked up his plane and came after us." Trigger explained, as they saw his Su-37 break away from the fuel trucks to engage the drones.

"At least we're out of that sand soup." Carlos said.

"Carlos." the rest of the class exclaimed.

"Wait a minute. It looked like the storm was messing with your radar. And these drones appeared out of nowhere. Did you use the storm to help fight the drones?" Keesha asked.

"Sure did. We would dive into the clouds and use them to sneak up on the drones. It was the only way to fight the drones since we were spread out all over the area." Trigger said, as they watched his past self engage in combat against the drones.

The class watched as Trigger went after the fuel trucks, with Tabloid keeping the drones off his tail. The two pilots worked in tandem, and the tanker trucks were all destroyed.

"Glad we're not down there." Arnold said, watching past Trigger break thru the clouds and followed the rest of the squadron back home.

"Well, nothing like the present to take a short field trip into the desert." Ms Frizzle said.

"Aw man." Arnold said.

"Ms Frizzle, if you go down there, they'll kill you. It'll be impossible to tell the difference between your bus and the enemy trucks. Don't do this." Trigger pleaded.

"Maybe. But aren't we in your memory, Trigger?" Ralphie asked.

"We are. And unless i'm mistaken, you can't be killed while inhabiting someone else's memory." Ms Frizzle said.

"Okay. Rewind back to when the oil tanks are just destroyed. Then head into the storm. I'll be busy with the drones." Trigger said.

Ms Frizzle was more than happy to take them into a sandstorm. She saw Trigger fly overhead and fire a missile into the nearest tanker truck, blowing it to pieces.

"Take a deep breath of the fresh, yet rough and coarse desert air." Ms Frizzle said, as the Oseans and Eruseans fought in the middle of the storm.

"Ms Frizzle, even though this is a memory, i doubt this is what any of us had in mind." Dorothy said.

"Take chances, make mistakes. Get covered with dirt and ashes." Ms Frizzle said as she drove them deeper into the storm.

"You're taking one hell of a chance with this stunt." Trigger replied.

"Oh please, Trigger. You're the one who flew, and is flying in this stuff." Ms Frizzle said.

As both pilot and teacher bantered like an old married couple, Carlos spoke up.

"If my parents were here, they'd say those two need to get a room." Carlos said, prompting everyone to look at him in confusing; Ms Frizzle looked at him in disgust.

"Fox 2!... Fullband, take them out!"

Trigger locked onto a tanker truck and fired, only for the missile to fly over the vehicle and detonate somewhere else.

Ms Frizzle saw an explosion right in front of the bus, now transformed into a large 4x4 that had the capacity to carry everyone inside, and floored it. She picked up the radio transmitter and angirly called Trigger.

"Trigger, that missile almost got us!" she shouted.

"The storm is fouling our guidance and radar systems! We'll have to fire line of site! Stay away from any jet engines!" Trigger roared back.

"Are you forgetting we're inside your memory? We won't be in any trouble." Ms Frizzle said, as she drove forward thru the dirt and into a small canyon. A high pitched noise was heard, and everyone looked up to see an F-16 drove a bomb directly ahead of them.

"Oh shit." Carlos said, fearing for the worst.

The bomb fell between two Erusean tankers, and both vehicles were blown sky high.

"Thank heavens." Ms Frizzle said.

Trigger pulled up after strafing a truck to pieces and heard Bandog give a report.

"We got drones coming in from the north. Ignore them. Continue on the mission." he said.

"We got toasters coming in. All pilots, prepare for close combat." Trigger said.

Despite being thru his memory, Trigger still found the drones to be hard fighters. The bastards pressed forward, cutting thru the thin Osean lines. Trigger gasped as a drone approached him. He pulled the trigger at the drone, only to see the drone fire its guns at him.

"Damn!" he growled, and focused on shooting down the drone; the plane can easily handle the hits.

Gritting his teeth, Trigger gasped in shock as a sharp pain was felt in his right arm. Looking at the wound, he saw blood leaking thru the good sized hole in his flesh.

"Impossible." he muttered, touching the wound with his left hand.

Pushing it to the back of his mind, he continued to fight the drones. On the ground, the class could only watch as destroyed drones fell to the ground, one almost crushing them.

"Ms Frizzle, get us out of here!" Tim exclaimed.

Stepping on the pedal, she raced down the dirt, seeing two drones fly ahead only for a familiar Su-37 to shoot them down.

"Glad he's on our side." Wanda said.

"It doesn't seem that those planes are affected by this stuff." Dorothy said.

"We're in the memory of the guy who flew in this crap. Of course they wouldn't be affected." Ralphie said.

A massive blue explosion caught their eyes, and they headed to investigate it.

"Was that what Trigger called Helios?" Keesha asked.

"It must be. He's the only one in the class who knows what that explosion was." Ms Frizzle said.

"There's nothing here except a small crater." Arnold said.

"Wow. That must be some powerful stuff." Carlos said.

"Ms Frizzle, we destroyed the tankers and drone fighters. Get us out of here." Trigger said, after a lengthy pause.

"Trigger, you okay?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"I'm fine." the ace replied.

…

Upon landing his plane, Trigger all but fell out of the cockpit clutching his right arm.

"Trigger!" Ms Frizzle exclaimed, seeing him tear the top half of his g-suit off. He sat down against the front wheel and clutched the wound.

"Trigger, we need to take you to a hospital." Ms Frizzle said, but Trigger shook his head.

"Too suspicious. You'll have to patch me up here. And i'm losing blood." Trigger said, pulling out his knife.

"Tell me what to do. Tell me how to fix you." Ms Frizzle said.

"Take the bullet out, then cauterize it." Trigger said, now squeezing his arm in pain.

Ms Frizzle grabbed his knife and began to cut into Trigger's arm. The class watched, some with shock, others with awe, and the rest in disgust.

"That's got to be painful." Carlos said. Trigger grabbed his belt and wrapped it around the torn arm and pulled it as tight as he could. He grunted as Ms Frizzle cut his arm open and looked at the surgery.

"We need alcohol." he said.

"We don't have any." Ms Frizzle said. Trigger nodded and braced himself for the pain.

"I'm gonna be sick." Arnold said, holding his mouth shut. Trigger squeezed the flesh beneath the wound, only to pull his hand away.

"Tim, get my bag." Ms Frizzle said, as she continued to search for the bullet.  
"Are you going to give me a makeshift MRI?" Trigger joked, as she pulled out a magnet and held it against the wound.

Trigger clenched his mouth shut as the magnet pulled the bullet out, eventually growling in pain.

"Look at that." Dorothy said, as Ms Frizzle held the blood-stained bullet head in her hand.

".30 caliber slug. Can't believe those drones were armed with such a weak weapon." Trigger said.

"Well, we got the bullet out. Mission accomplished." Arnold said.

"Not yet. Now we need to cauterize it. And given that Ms Frizzle nearly amputated my arm, there's one only one way." Trigger said, climbing into the cockpit with Ms Frizzle's help and started up the engine.

"This is gonna suck." Trigger said, crouching under the engine. Ms Frizzle shoved her sock into his mouth and pressed his arm against the heating metal. Trigger could only scream in blistering agony.

"I'm sorry, Trigger, but this has to be done!" Ms Frizzle exclaimed, smelling the scent of burnt flesh. Once the wound was cauterized, she put Trigger on the ground, feeling him go unconscious.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

The class looked at Ms Frizzle and the unconscious pilot that lay in her arms. What scared them was the look on their teacher's face.

It was fear.

"Is he going to be fine?" Keesha asked.

"What are we going to do? What are we going to dooooo?" Wanda asked.

"Everyone, calm down. He'll be fine. He'll be fine." Ms Frizzle said, whispering the last part to herself. She knew they had to leave as soon as possible, or Trigger could suffer more injuries.

"Everyone, head home. I'll take Trigger to my place." she said, hoisting Trigger onto her shoulder and attempted to climb into the cockpit of the Su-37. After failing a couple of times, she had her students help her and Trigger settle inside.

"It looks similar to the bus." Tim said.

"Yeah. It does." she said, an idea in her head. She reached around the controls and found them familiar to her. Starting up the engines, she grabbed the throttle and gently pushed them forward. Seeing the plane move forward with no problems, she increased speed and pulled back on the stick.

"Power, pitch, roll, yaw. You've flown the school bus before. But i've never flown a pure airplane before." she said to herself, feeling the plane shake around her thanks to the engines. Looking at the glass cockpit infront of her, she decided to mess around with some of the button, wondering what they were for.

"That turns on the radar, and this knob extends and retracts the range. What does this one do?" she muttered, pressing another one.

'Missile, armed. Missile, armed.'

"Oh shit! We don't want missile armed!" she exclaimed, pressing the button which disarmed the missiles.

"Ms Frizzle, don't touch anything that isn't familiar to you. Leave that to Trigger." she said.

Upon reaching her neighborhood, she cut the engines off and touched down onto the street, heading to her house.

"Okay. You're at your house, with an unconscious pilot from another universe and sitting in a state of the art fighter plane. Everything's fine... No, this is not fine." she said to herself, cupping her mouth before she went on a mad rant. Opening the canopy, she pushed Trigger off her body and onto the hard concrete below wincing as she heard the impact.

Dragging him inside her house, she slapped her forehead as she forgot to camouflage the obvious warplane in her driveway. Reaching inside a drawer, she grabbed a camo-gun and fired a cloud of green mist over the plane. When the dust settled, all she saw was an average car sitting in the driveway.

"Can't believe i almost forgot." she said, pulling Trigger into her bedroom and onto the bed. She removed the rest of his g-suit and got a good look at his body. He was of average build, with ruggedly handsome features.

"He's cute, in a primitive animalistic way. Now about his wound." she said, straddling the pilot.

That's when she noticed Trigger had multiple scars and small wounds across his body. It was clear 8 months of hard war, even in the safety of the cockpit was not kind to him. While she knew the human body was able to heal and repair itself, the mind was another problem.

"You said you picked up some demons. What kind of demons?" she muttered, running a finger down a set of scars.

The unconscious pilot didn't respond, yet still had a pulse as Ms Frizzle put an ear to his chest and heard his heartbeat at a steady rate. As much as she enjoyed straddling Trigger, Ms Frizzle had to let him rest.

"Get well, Trigger." she said.

…

Trigger woke up, noticing a ray of light entering the bedroom. Grabbing his head as recent memories poured thru his mind, and looked to the side and some clothes.

"Where am I?" he muttered, as he put the new cloth on. Grabbing his rifle, he cycled the bolt and left the room. He heard the sounds of someone putting away dishes and approached the noise, his rifle raised. Approaching the kitchen door, he gently pushed the door open with the barrel of his rifle and saw the shape and hair of Ms Frizzle.

"Morning, Ms Frizzle." Trigger said, watching as Ms Frizzle jumped with fright at the unannounced intrusion.

"Jesus, Trigger. Scare the hell out of me." she said, turning around to face him.

"Nice to see you, too." Trigger said, sitting down with the rifle on the table.

"Looks like you had a good sleep. You were out for 16 hours." she said, putting a plate of food in front of him.

"Thanks. How bad was I?" he asked.

"Thankfully, you weren't that bad. Just unconscious." Ms Frizzle said.

Trigger nodded as he ate his food. He couldn't believe how he got shot while in his memory.

"Is there any reason this happened? I was in my own memory." Trigger said.

"I've thought about that. Were you actually shot during that mission?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"I can't remember. If i was, i probably forgot." Trigger said.

"I excused class for the next two days, so we have all that time for ourselves. Anything you want to do?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"At the moment, i need to rest. You got any paper?" Trigger asked.

"Plenty. Why?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Going back thru my memory, it taught me something. I need to do what Sledge did. Write it all down. His book was with the old breed. I'm thinking of titling mine 'with the damned'." Trigger said, finishing his food.

"With the damned?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Yep. Soldiers like Wiseman, Highroller, Mihaly, and other good and competent ones were killed during the war. While incompetent fuck-ups like Count got to live. But that's the thing about war. The 'good guys' always manage to die first. People like me, Tabloid, Cossette, we get to live the rest of our lives in hell. But what the hell. Being alive is proof that we were good!" Trigger loudly exclaimed with bitter sarcasm. After finishing his drink he slammed the glass on the table, nearly breaking it.

"I'll be busy writing." he said.

Ms Frizzle looked at the retreating figure, and had the thought to shrink herself down and explore his mind. She then changed her mind, not wanting to incur his wrath. With nothing else to do, she decided to prepare the next lesson for her class.

…

Trigger furiously wrote down his memory, starting from the first combat sortie when he gunned down those Erusean bombers over fort greys air-force base. Next was the encounter with the arsenal bird. He was damaging the plane until its shields came up, and the Oseans were forced to retreat, hunted and harassed by the drones.

"He's like a predator... the weak get eaten… Mage 2, support! Anyone, support!"

Pushing the memory aside, he continued to write, stopping at that fateful mission.

"June 6. What a day. First, the Belkan nukes. Next, the Eruseans kill Harling." Trigger said, leaving the bedroom and headed to the kitchen. He went thru the cabinets until he found some booze and headed back to the bedroom.

Downing a swig of the burning liquid, he began to write about the mission, how he slipped past the detection grid and engaged the Erusean defenses at the elevator, the furball between the drones and Osean planes, the rescue of Harling.

And the shot that ended the man's life, and sentenced Trigger to months of hell.

Zapland was next. He wrote about his anger, how he felt betrayed by his own government, and they had the gall to ask him to continue fighting for them.

"If i had to do it all over again, i'd defect to Erusea, but not before murdering that bastard McKinsey." he said, writing the words in the paper.

"Hey, Trigger. How's it going?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Fine. It's been 3 hours, so i'll take a break." Trigger said, putting the pen down.

Sitting on a couch, Ms Frizzle turned on a movie watching top-gun. Trigger scowled in response.

"Not in the mood of watching propaganda. Besides, this isn't like the real thing. Here, this Maverik is celebrating his skills while fighting against what appears to be a third-rate air-force. If that's true, then how skillful are you? You want to test your skills, go against someone who's just as strong as you are, if not more stronger. This fool wouldn't last against Mihaly." Trigger said.

"And i presume you're an expert in that. So, how's the writing?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"It's hell trying to sort out the memories. I've just ended when i was transferred to the 444th squadron. The Eruseans had taken over the continent, and the Oseans were making plans to circumvent their hold. The squadron was to be used as a diversion to keep the Eruseans busy while the main force hits Erusea in their weak points. Bastards took their sweet fucking time. Remember that sandstorm? That was one of the many missions the squadron partook in." Trigger said.

"Any friends you made?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Tabloid, but that's all. Count would like to say we're friends, but i fucking hated his guts. Guess i still do. Champ was looking for a fight, often with fellow pilots. Always stayed away from him. Fullband and Highroller were decent folks, but Highroller died too early in the war. Fullband was also killed soon after. Pity, because i think we would have gotten along just fine." Trigger continued.

"Were you the leader?" Ms Frizzle said.

"Unofficially, yes. Everyone else was useless. As the war dragged on, Tabloid did show leadership material. He came up with a plane that saved our lives while everyone, including me, was scared out of our wits. He was a good pilot, more reliable than Count could ever hope to match, but he wasn't as skilled as me or Mihaly. If he was the leader and we ran into Mister X, we'd be right back at square one." Trigger said.

"How was being the leader? Were you the cool macho type?" Ms Frizzle asked, hearing Trigger chuckle in response.

"Nothing like that. To be honest, i didn't ask to be the leader of my squadron, both Spare and Strider. And i wasn't the cool macho type. To tell you the truth, there were many times when i was scared. But when the bullets started flying, I stepped up to the plate and took the initiative. There's a phrase my old squadron has: 'stick with Trigger and you'll make it.' After the squadron was disbanded, i was given command of Strider squadron as part of the LRSSG." Trigger said.

"And now the war's over. What will you do next?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"I don't know. We'll see what happens next. So what's your next field trip?" Trigger asked.

"There's going to be a parent-teacher conference about bats and other nocturnal creatures. You should join." she said.

"If i have the time, i will. But that reminds me about a mission i performed in the dark. We had to capture an enemy air base as a springboard to attack Farbanti. The only way in was thru a long and twisty canyon. The Eruseans had plenty of defenses and searchlights. It didn't stop us from going thru the canyon and tearing the base to pieces. When the carnage was over, the prisoners said that we swooped in like bloodthirsty bats. Quite fitting, since bats use the dark to protect themselves from enemies, and me and my pilots used the night sky to cloak ourselves from Erusean eyes." Trigger said.

"Speaking of nocturnal activities…" Ms Frizzle said, pushing Trigger into the couch and mounted him, pushing her lips against his.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6

The class was busy getting their projects together, wanting to finish in time for the parent-teacher conference.

"Quick question, you think Ms Frizzle's boyfriend will appear?" Carlos asked.

"Trigger? It's been months since we last saw him. Don't know if he'll show up or not." Keesha said.

Ms Frizzle listened into their conversations, looking at the dog-tag that Trigger willingly gave her. She hoped that Trigger would arrive, though she didn't understand the time discrepancies between both their worlds.

"Still, it would be nice. Maybe he can help me scare the pants off my students, again." she giggled.

…

_Osean-Erusean HQ_

_Space Elevator_

"You'd say that your experiments were a success?" Dr Schroeder asked.

"For the moment, they are. But there is one problem i've noticed." Trigger said.

"What would that be?" Rosa asked.

"The teleporter device overheats from traveling from one universe to another. It takes time to cool, if it still works. The last time i traveled to the other world, Ms Frizzle had to help me fix it." Trigger said.

"And the tech is complicated. It took weeks for the top Belkan scientists to get a working prototype ready. We're hooking it to a new Yuktobanian fighter plane, the Su-44." Longcaster said, showing Trigger a picture of the new jet.

"It looks like that Estovakian plane, the Nosferatu." Trigger said.

"It does. We've made several modifications to it. It's much more maneuverable than the Estovakian version, and it can hold its own in a turning fight. It also has better speed and stealth." Schroeder said.

"When do i leave?" Trigger asked.

"It'll be ready in about 7 hours." the Belkan scientist said.

"Your orders are to find Ms Frizzle and bring her to the elevator. We need her help with this tech of hers." Rosa said.

…

Trigger exited the vortex and found himself over the school. Looking down at the familiar school, he landed his plane on the street and entered the school parking lot.

"Time to find her, and bring her to the elevator. If she isn't on a field trip, that is." he said.

Walking thru the school, he found the classroom and saw the kids hard at work.

"Trigger? What are you doing here?" Wanda asked.

"My masters have sent me here to bring Ms Frizzle back to the elevator. We need her help with some classified stuff." Trigger said.

"Sorry, but that'll have to wait. Ms Frizzle will be hosting a parent-teacher conference about bats and other nocturnal creatures." Arnold said.

"It's night time. Anyone know where she is?" Trigger asked.

"No-one knows. She wants us to prepare the attic." Phoebe said, grabbing the attic cord and pulled it down, showing the hidden staircase.

Trigger followed the rest of the class into the dark attic, seeing several bats.

"It's dark in here." Wanda said.

"I better get a flash light." Ralphie said.

"What's the matter, Mr vampire expert? Afraid of the dark?" Keesha teased.

"No. I just can't see well." Ralphie said.

"Look what i found." Trigger said, holding a bat in his hand.

"Get that away! If it bites you, you'll turn into a vampire!" Ralphie exclaimed.

"Ralphie, that's impossible. Besides, bats can see in the night. The method is similar to how my plane can 'see' targets, both friendly and otherwise." Trigger said.

"Your plane is alive?" Tim asked.

"No. It has something called radar. Radar sends out radio waves, and once they impact an object, said object sends back reflected radio waves. That way, the pilot can tell what kind of object they're approaching, be it a plane or ship, and how far they are." Trigger said.

"That's exactly how bats see in the dark. They don't have eyes like we do, so they rely on sound echoes." Dorothy said.

"Just like radar and sonar." Trigger said.

"Yeah, and the only way Trigger knows, is because he's hooked up to his plane like a vampire!" Ralphie said.

"First off, you're not making any sense at all. Second… that's actually a good idea. If we can hook up a fighter pilot to the aircraft, they'd be damn near unstoppable. Increased hand-eye reflexes, shortened reaction time, etc." Trigger said, pulling out a small notebook and began to jot the ideas down.

Suddenly, a humanoid figure came down, hanging off the rafters. The figure opened its dark cloak, revealing Ms Frizzle.

"Ms Frizzle?" the class asked.

"Good evening, class. I see you found my animal of the night. So dark of wing and keen of craft of all night fliers, the master's the bat." she said, her voice deeper than usual. Ralphie was scared of Ms Frizzle.

"Don't be afraid. Let me show you the secrets of being nocturnal. When you're a creature of the night, you wear the color of night so you won't be seen by your enemies. You say hidden until the sun has set. The darker the night, the safer the flight. And of course being nocturnal, you feed only during the night." Ms Frizzle said.

"That reminds me of something. There's a country called Estovakia with many skilled aces. Throughout their history, for every generation there was one ace squadron that held the name vampire. The first was formed in the 1960s. Like bats, they flew only during the night. Their Su-15 interceptors and Su-7/17 bombers were jet black like bats. They were very skilled, and dangerous in their element. The latest iteration now flies Su-33s and an experimental superplane that's called Nosferatu." Trigger said, leading the class out of the attic and pointed out of the window, seeing a large blood-red fighter jet sitting in the parking lot.

"Estovakia? That sounds Romanian. And the word Nosferatu is an archaic Romanian word meaning vampire." Ms Frizzle said.

"The Nosferatu fighter plane put a massive strain on the Estovakian economy, and many critics compared it to an actual vampire sucking up taxpayer money. The Estovakians only managed to make a few, and one was destroyed in battle." Trigger said.

"Vampire? There's a country that's made up of vampires that can fly planes and operate during the night?" Ralphie asked.

"Sure is. I actually trained with some of them. The vampires are not that bad." Trigger said, laughing with Ms Frizzle at the joke.

"That plane is called Nosferatu?" Ralphie asked.

"Right on the money." Trigger said.

"And it's painted blood red. Which means Trigger is a blood-sucking vampire and has painted that plane with the blood of his enemies!" Ralphie exclaimed.

"Come on, Ralphie. It's painted red, probably because the designers made it that way." Keesha said.

"Weren't you listening, Keesha? Trigger said that plane was made in a country inhabited by vampires!" Ralphie said; Keesha rolled her eyes in response.

The parents soon arrived, and Ms Frizzle went out to greet them. Trigger trailed behind her and slipped a small communication device in her ear. Heading out to his fighter plane, he listened to her talking with the students.

"...someplace more breathtaking. Come along. I won't bite." she said.

"Now do you believe me?" Ralphie asked.

"Don't worry about the children. They'll be taken care of." Ms Frizzle said, ushering Keesha's grandmother into the bus and started the engine.

"We're next. Oh, wait a minute. We have Trigger here to protect us." Ralphie said.

Ralphie was quickly proven wrong as he saw Trigger enter the school bus after Ms Frizzle. The kids soon hopped onto a large motorcycle driven by Liz, and followed the school bus.

"Why would she bring our parents to a place full of bats?" Wanda asked.

"Because she's and Trigger are vampires, that's why! What more proof do you need?" Ralphie asked.

Ralphie's brain snapped as he quickly came upon another idea.

"Wait a minute. She has the school bus and is a scientist. Trigger is a soldier with access to advanced warplanes, such as that vampire plane sitting at the school. They're gathering our parents to turn them into vampires, than use their combined science and military might to take over the world!" he exclaimed.

"Ralphie, they're not vampires. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all this." Keesha said.

Wanda attempted to pull the door open, only to yank off the old door knobs. Ralphie led everyone to a window and saw her holding a wine glass filled with a red liquid.

"She's making them drink blood!" Ralphie said.

"It's probably tomato juice." Keesha countered.

Inside, Ms Frizzle was making a toast.

"To the creatures of the night. Long may we fly together."

"Long live vampire squadron." Trigger said to himself, sipping the wine.

"The only way to stop a teacher vampire is to drive a textbook thru her heart! Her and Trigger!" Ralphie exclaimed.

Inside the castle, Trigger took the rear, following everyone else. He noticed the many bats that were either sleeping or moving around. He felt like he was exploring one of the many castles that were in Estovakia, Belka, and Shilage.

"What is that smell?" Mr Pearlsten asked.

"Sir, that's batshit. Literally." Trigger said.

"Bat guano to be more exact, Trigger. It makes excellent fertilizer." Ms Frizzle taught.

The group approached a large group of mother bats, guarding their newly hatched offspring.

"Even bats protect their young. Just like any animal on the planet." Trigger said.

"Correct." Ms Frizzle said.

"Bats are interesting. While every other flesh and blood creature is dirunal, bats are very nocturnal." one of the parents said.

"Speaking of nocturnal activities." Trigger said, approaching Ms Frizzle from behind and licked her neck. Ralphie thought he was trying to transform her into a vampire. She turned to face him and bit him in the neck.

"She's turning him into a vampire!" he harshly whispered.

Trigger only pulled her close in response, yet Ms Frizzle separated both of them, winking at him with a mischievous look in her eyes.

Trigger followed everyone deeper into the castle, his thoughts going back to Shilage castle. Now wasn't the time to reflect on such a mistake.

_'Take cover if you hear a jet engine!'_

"That's why we avoid light. Our enemies can see us in it." Keesha said to her classmates, as they were all now transformed into bats.

"The darker the night, the safer the flight. Just like Ms Frizzle and Trigger said." Phoebe said.

"And they ought to know. They're the king and queen of the night." Ralphie said.

"Attention parents, of my dear beloved children. At last, the moment i've been waiting for has come." Ms Frizzle said.

"Prepare yourselves, for your time has come." she said. When the kids were convinced that Ms Frizzle was a vampire, they flew down the stairs, encountering more bats.

"There are plenty of bats down here." Dorothy said.

"Yeah. Millions and millions of parents turned into bats for Trigger's air-force bat army." Ralphie said.

Hearing their parents talk about the field trip, they quickly headed closer to the voices, seeing their parents, along with Trigger and Ms Frizzle hanging upside down from a chandelier.

"What about the kids, Ms Frizzle? Are they going to suffer the same fate as us?"

"Of course. They're mine too, aren't they?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"This is familiar, Ms Frizzle. In the air-force, pilots would sometimes be trained by hanging upside down from a chandelier. But unlike this one, the one i was trained on was rotating on its center axis." Trigger said.

"I told you guys both of them were vampires." Ralphie said.

The kids charged forward, only for Ms Frizzle and their parents to pull themselves up and detach from the chandelier. Everyone left the castle, and saw the kids come out of the school bus. Trigger was about to ask how they quickly arrived, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

…

When everyone headed home for the night, Trigger flew him and Ms Frizzle to her house.

"So Trigger, why did you come?" she asked.

"We're having trouble working with the teleporter device you gave us. It overheats after one use, and it's close to breaking. We need your help." Trigger said.

"Of course i'll help. You know, that's the perfect idea for my next field trip." Ms Frizzle said.

"Looking forward to it." he said.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7

The next day, Ms Frizzle had another field trip for her class, courtesy of Trigger.

"Okay, class. Trigger is going to take me to the space elevator, claims that he needs my help with some technical stuff. But why should me and him have all the fun? I'm taking you guys on another field trip." Ms Frizzle said.

The class jumped for joy, but Trigger was worried. He pulled Ms Frizzle aside and gave her his revolver.

"The continent is very unstable. It's under the grip of anarchy and chaos. It could crack any second." Trigger said.

"All i have to do is help fix that teleporter, right?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Yes." Trigger said.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Ms Frizzle said.

With her class on the bus, she and Trigger traveled from one planet to the next, seeing the space elevator.

"Home sweet home, Trigger." Ms Frizzle reminded.

"Follow my lead and don't deviate from my trail, or you'll be shot down." Trigger said.

Landing at Seletapura air-force base, they saw dozens of new fighter jets being readied for combat. It was clear something was going on.

"Stay here. Dr Schroeder and scrap queen will help you, or vice versa. It appears i have a meeting with the higher ups." Trigger said.

With Trigger gone, Ms Frizzle crouched under the fighter jet and approached the teleporter device. Just like before, it was hissing steam and heat.

"Oh dear." she said, wiping sweat off her brow.

"Miss crazy, how are we going to fix this?" Avril asked.

"Don't worry. I know just the thing." Ms Frizzle said.

She headed to the bus and pulled out several tools, calling them strange names that didn't make sense. Ms Frizzle went to work on the machine, and Schroeder and Avril just looked on with slack jaws, completely lost.

"Miss crazy indeed. And you're a school teacher?" Avril asked.

"She's the best there is." Arnold said.

Trigger sat next to Rosa, his squadron, and other high-ranking officers.

"We all know that the Usean continent is in turmoil. The supplies coming from Yuktobania and the Anea continent are keeping Erusea up, but if full-scale war breaks out, it won't mean anything." Longcaster said.

"If war does break out, can we rely on Osea for support?" Rosa asked.

"No. The lighthouse war hurt Osea really bad. Her naval strength has been severely reduced, thanks to the drone attacks. The air-force and army is doing better, but their power projection is limited compared to the navy. To make matters worse, thanks to the use of hiding drones in cargo ships, shipping lanes are all but non-existent. Osean subs went on a killing spree, sinking any cargo ships that were suspected of carrying drones. Right now, no-one is sending cargo ships anywhere, let alone to Erusea, unless they are escorted by the Yuktobanian armed forces. To make a long story short, we'll have to rely on Yuktobania for support." Longcaster said.

"But they're on the other side of the globe. By the time they get here, they'll be backing up a graveyard." Huxian said.

"Unfortunately, you're right. For the moment, we'll be beefing up defenses here at the space elevator. We can afford to lose Erusea. We can't afford to lose the elevator." Longcaster said.

"Who's most likely to attack us, and what kind of opposition are we looking at?" Tabloid asked.

"We don't know. Our best guess puts the Free Erusea terrorist movement as the most likely target, but it's just speculation and theory. It could be any of the dozens of anarcho groups swarming the continent. As for opposition, it'll most likely be an airborne attack since Erusea's navy was all but destroyed during the war. I hope to god we don't get involved with another war." Longcaster said, looking very tired.

"What about shelter?" Rosa asked.

"We can put the refugees in the space elevator. When the IUN attempted to rescue Harling, Osean planes fired dozens of air to air missiles at the elevator. All they did was scratch the paint. Right now, that's the sturdiest structure within arms reach. If we're attacked, our enemy can fire everything short of an ICBM, and it still won't make a dent." Trigger said.

"So it's agreed. We'll keep the base on alert status. But keep trucks and other vehicles ready to transport all non-essential personnel to the elevator." Longcaster said.

…

Trigger, Tabloid, and Rosa returned to the hanger, seeing Ionela and Alma chatting with Ms Frizzle and her students, and joined in.

"You got any smokes?" Count asked.

"No. It's bad for your lungs, and Trigger once told me that's very important for being a combat pilot." Ms Frizzle said.

"Where are you and your students from?" Ionela asked.

"Not from here. It's a long story." Ms Frizzle said.

"Then why'd you come here? We could be attacked any second." Tabloid said.

"Trigger said he was ordered to bring me here. Must be a mistake." Ms Frizzle said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Mistake? Command doesn't make mistakes. They have a reason for everything. I never said it was a good reason, so you just have to shut up, nut up, and hope that shit turns out alright." Avril said, spitting some gum next to Ms Frizzle's feet.

"You pray?" Tabloid asked.

"A little." Ms Frizzle answered.

"Are you saved?" Tabloid asked.

"I was baptized years ago." Ms Frizzle said, confused.

"That's not what i asked. Count, what did i ask her?" Tabloid asked.

"Not what he asked. You got to listen." Count said, lighting a cigarette.

"Are you saved?" Tabloid repeated. Ms Frizzle just looked at the newcomers with a perplexed look on her face.

"If we get attacked… wait until you see it." Tabloid said, his tone more serious.

"See what?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"What a man can do to another man." he said.

Out of the blue, the air raid siren started blaring, and the pilots soon scrambled to their planes.

"Cosette, take Ms Frizzle, her class, and the shilage girls to the elevator." Avril said, as she helped Tabloid finish putting missiles on his jet.

Cossette gathered the kids, but failed to find Ms Frizzle.

"You dumbass." she said, seeing the crazy teacher climb into the rear cockpit of Trigger's Su-30, and watched as the ace rolled on the runway and into the skies, following the rest of the squadron. While Trigger was cool and collected, Ms Frizzle was all hyper and excited.

"Hey Trigger, how long until the shooting begin?" she asked, with a crazed look in her eyes.

"Enemy has increased speed. Estimated time until contact is 3 minutes." Longcaster said.

"Does that answer your question?" Trigger asked.

Both sides merged, and Trigger fired off a missile, destroying a Tu-95 bomber from the start.

"Damn! Looks like we're going against three strikes." one of the rebels said.

Trigger chased down a Typhoon, blowing it to pieces with his guns. Looking behind him, he saw a MiG-21 approach him, firing a missile. Trigger yanked the stick in his gut, and the plane arched up 90 degrees, and the missile flew past him. Ms Frizzle struggled to keep herself awake, as she watched Trigger latch onto the tail of the MiG.

And this driver was skilled. He threw his plane all over the skies, banking and rolling to keep himself one step ahead of the dreaded three strikes. But it didn't matter as Trigger kept his eyes on him, feeling as if the plane was too slow to keep up. Pulling the gun sight onto his enemy, he fired a burst into the engine and watched the plane explode into many small pieces.

"Is it always like this?" Ms Frizzle asked, hearing the sounds of combat over the radio.

"Always. It's not cut and clean like the movies." Trigger replied, as he chased another plane, this time a Gripen. The Gripen pilot quickly dived down to the water below, hoping to give Trigger the slip. It didn't work, as Ms Frizzle spotted him.

Locking on, he pulled the trigger and sent a missile downrange. The missile was warded off thanks to chaffs, but Trigger increased speed as if he were going to ram the fleeing plane. The enemy pilot panicked and ejected, right in front of Trigger.

"Jesus!" he shouted, seeing the body fly past his canopy and fall into the choppy waters. Not wanting to suffer the same fate, he pulled up and straight into a busy furball. Cannon shells and missiles were flying from one end to another, as pilots called out to each other warning of an enemy, or requesting support.

"Trigger, there's one straggler. Go get him!" Count said.

Trigger dove onto a MiG-35, chasing him thru the clouds.

"This seems familiar." he said, remembering how Mihlay fought Champ back at Yinshi valley.

"Trigger, why aren't you firing?" Ms Frizzle asked.

The MiG went into a cobra, and was now chasing Trigger, his radar warning him of a missile lock.

"Oh my god!" Ms Frizzle exclaimed, her eyes on the pursuer.

With the grace of a seasoned ballerina, Trigger performs a Kulbit, and sees the enemy MiG right in front of him. Pulling the trigger, he sends a missile towards the hapless jet, destroying it.

"Couldn't you have done that sooner?!" Ms Frizzle asked, exasperated.

"I want to understand the enemy." Trigger said.

"Is Trigger turning into Mr X?" Huxian asked.

"He's the only one who's fought him and survived. It wouldn't be a stretch for him to pick up Mr X's mannerisms." Jaeger said.

As the furball continued, the students were looking outside of a window.

"So what happened to Ms Frizzle?" Arnold asked.

"She's with Trigger. Just look for the plane that has three strikes on it." Rosa assured.

"I knew i should have stayed home today." Arnold bemoaned.

But that was easier said than done, as pilots from both sides were pushing their planes to the limit. The shooting eventually died down, as the attacking forces were pushed away from the elevator.

"Thank god." Rosa said, picking up a phone to congratulate the pilots.

"To all the surviving pilots, thanks for keeping the elevator safe. Thank you." she said.

"Hey Trigger, i have an idea. You said that you guys were fighting drones in the war, right?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"We were." Trigger answered.

"Why not use the drones to help defending the elevator?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"You want to put killer drones in the sky?" Trigger asked.

"Well…" Ms Frizzle started when Trigger continued.

"Oh no, lets restart the lighthouse war all over again. After all, having to kill all the drones was so easy the last time around." Trigger sarcastically finished. Ms Frizzle stayed quiet for the rest of the flight.

…

The squadron returned from the fight, joyus at both victory and survival. Despite having a brush with death, Ms Frizzle looked no worse for wear as she climbed out of the cockpit.

"That was exhilarating, Trigger! We should do it again." she said.

"I think Ms Frizzle is working with only half a deck of cards." Huxian said.

"That's not even the half of it." Trigger said.

Ms Frizzle went back to work on fixing the teleporter device the Eruseans had made, noting how different it was compared to the ones she had access to. As she tinkered with the device, the bus began to act up.

"Ms Frizzle, i think you should take a look at this." Dorothy said.

Sitting on the driver's seat, she saw what appeared to be a different city, different that Walkerville, or Seletapura.

"Retroville?" she asked.

With further investigation, she realized that both the Erusean/Belkan tech and her own school bus magic created a portal into another universe. A scientist at heart, she decided to explore it with her friends.

"You want to do what?" Rosa asked.

"That's correct. Besides, Trigger was able to travel from this world to mine with ease. It shouldn't be a problem." Ms Frizzle said.

"You're insane." Huxian pointed out.

"So it's settled then." Ms Frizzle said.

As she gathered her class, Rosa pulled Trigger aside.

"Trigger, go with her. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." the princess ordered.

"I'll get it done." Trigger said.

"Dumbass, your plane is in need of repairs. Again, i might add. You'll have to take the Morgan. Don't burn out the engines again." Avril advised.

Armed with only the laser pod and two missiles, Trigger followed the school bus thru the portal and looked down at a city that was very unfamiliar to him.

"Ms Frizzle, where are we?" Trigger asked.

"In a new universe, just waiting for us to explore it." Ms Frizzle happily said.

"I get that, but where exactly?" Trigger asked.

"Some city called Retroville. And i know just where we'll be landing." she said.

"Is it somewhere we can hide a flying school bus and a Belkan superplane?" Trigger asked.

"Not exactly. But i'm in the mood for some chocolate. How about you?" Ms Frizzle asked.

Not wanting to refuse sweets, Trigger agreed and both vehicles descended to the city below.

"Maybe, in the right light Ms Fowl looks like…" Carl started when Sheen interrupted.

"Hold that thought. Look up in the sky. It's a plane!" Sheen exclaimed.

"It's a bird." Carl added.

"It's a flying school bus and an experimental forward swept wing fighter jet, both traveling near mach 1." Jimmy said.

"Oh." Sheen said, as if it were a normal occurrence.

"Jimmy, did you say flying school bus?" Carl asked.

All three kids quickly ran down the sidewalk, heading right towards the candy bar. They saw the school bus in the parking lot, and right next to it was the large Belkan superplane.

"Come on, guys. Lets see what's going on." Jimmy said.

Trigger lead the class into the bar, seeing a retro 1950's aesthetics inside. The customers inside just looked in stupor, seeing several pilots wearing their g-suits, a teacher wearing a colorful dress, and her class.

"Trigger, you might want to take off your helmet." Ms Frizzle said as they approached the counter. Trigger, Count, Huxian, and Tabloid all removed their helmets.

"This is so fucking surreal." Tabloid.

"Ms Frizzle, you have the means to check if i've just taken a mind-altering substance such as acid?" Trigger asked, as he honestly thought he was having a full blown acid trip.

"Not at the moment, so take chances. Make mistakes. And get messy with lots of chocolate and sweet foods." Ms Frizzle said.

"Amen to that." Count said.

"You going to order or what?" Sam asked.

"Sure. Anything chocolate. Surprise me." Ms Frizzle said.

As everyone started to eat, Jimmy and his friends came in the bar and saw them sitting in some of the circular booths.

"So Trigger, any other war stories you'd like to share?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"There's one. This was after we joined the LRSSG, and before we hit that Erusean base at Snider's top. Now, there was a pilot that was flying with us, Ukumori. We called him emo kid for a reason. He was an unpleasant and abrasive bastard. He had this twisted social darwinism idea. If you were killed in combat, you were weak and deserved to die. Now that's pure bullshit. Plenty of good and skilled pilots, such as Wiseman, Mihaly and others were shot down and killed during the war, while many incompetent pilots survived." Trigger said.

"I take it you weren't friends with him." Ionela said.

"I wasn't. After one mission, he was bragging about how he was strong enough to survive, while other friendly pilots didn't. I snapped and beat the living hell out of him, all but putting him in the hospital. I was thrown in the brig, but it was so worth it." Trigger said, a grin on his face.

"Nice to know you were having so much fun." Ms Frizzle said.

"I was. And it only got better." Trigger said.

"Um, define better." Ralphie said.

"Before our final push to take Farbanti, he and several pilots were attempting to defect to Erusea, for some crazy reason. Trigger here, all but volunteers to take them out. You were more aroused and ready then a man on viagra." Count said.

"Count, you really need to learn word etiquette. You can't just blabber that kind of stuff in the presence of children." Huxian said.

"Anyway, i was more than happy to go after them. I shot down the pilots that were attempting to defect, and went after the emo kid. Ms Frizzle, you remember when i shot that drone with the MPBM and you called it overkill?" Trigger asked.

"I clearly remember." she said.

"That's nothing compared to what i did to Ukumori. After i shot him down, i landed next to the remains and fired all my pistol ammunition into the cockpit then dropped all my frag and white phosphorus grenades after the bullets ran dry. And i still wasn't done. After i took off, i fired the last of my missiles at the remains and blew it all to rubble. Now that's overkill." Trigger proudly said, downing his shake.

"Tip number one. Don't piss off the pilot with the three strikes." Tabloid said.

"Who's that big-headed kid who keeps looking at us?" Wanda asked.

Trigger flagged the kid down, hearing his name being said.

"Jimmy Neutron?" Trigger asked.

"That's me." the kid replied.

"Have you ran into a pilot named Mobius 1?" Huxian asked.

"I have. He almost killed me. Me and Rick." Jimmy said.

"Rick Sanchez?" Ms Frizzle asked.

"Yeah. You know those two?" Jimmy asked.

"No reason." the adults said at the same time.

"As much as i'd like to continue this conversation, we better leave." Ms Frizzle said.

With everyone heading into their vehicles, Jimmy watched as the school bus quickly took off like an airplane, and saw the large super fighter trail after the bus.

"I gotta find out how that bus is flying." he said.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't get the opportunity as a purple vortex appeared in front of them and both vehicles disappeared.

They soon appeared over the space elevator, and both vehicles landed at the air-base.

"Command, mission accomplished." Trigger said.


End file.
